Skandinavian Armed Forces
| Forsvaret | |
|---|---|
| Skandinavian Armed Forces | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Founded | 9th Century |
| Current form | 2001 |
| Service branches |
Kongelige Hæren (Royal Army) Kongelige Sjøforsvaret (Royal Navy) Kongelige Luftforsvaret (Royal Air Force) Kongelige Heimevernet (Royal Home Guard) Kongelige Strategiskestyrker (Royal Strategic Forces) Kongelige Gendarmeri (Royal Gendarmerie) |
| Headquarters |
Forsvarets hovedkvarter (KUFvH) Akershus Fortress, Christiania |
| Leadership | |
| Monark | Frederik II |
| Statsminister Prime Minister | Ann Nilsson |
| Forsvarsminister Minister of Defence | Göran Bildt |
| Forsvarssjef] Chief of Defence | Admiral Harald Borg |
| Personnel | |
| Military age |
Male: 18-44 (55 for officers) years of age for compulsory military service. Female: 18 years of age for military service. Compulsory for females born in 1989 or later. |
| Conscription | 12-month service obligation. |
| Active personnel | 400,000 |
| Reserve personnel | 500,000 in the Heimevernet |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$ 92.50 billion (2018) |
| Percent of GDP | 3.10% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Forsvaret ranks, insignias and uniforms |
Forsvaret (Skandinavian Armed Forces) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Skandinavia. It consists of six branches, Army, Navy, Air Force, Home Guard, Strategic Forces and the Gendarmerie, as well as several joint departments.
Forsvaret is subordinate to the Forsvarsminister (Minister of Defence). The Commander-in-chief is Frederik II of Skandinavia.
Forsvarsminister is accountable to Unionsparlamentet for all activities carried out by the agencies under his or her responsibility. This means that the Ministry, as part of the executive branch of government, is responsible for supervising the activity of its subordinate agencies.
The Forsvarsdepartementet (FVDP) has been since 1983 an integrated structure with civilian and military personnel. Subordinate to the FVDP are the Forsvaret as well as the three civilian agencies:
- Forsvarsforskningsagentur (FVFA)
- Sikkerhetsdirektorat (SDK)
- Direktorate P (DKP)
Doctrine
The Forsvaret have four main tasks:
- To assert the territorial integrity of Skandinavia.
- To defend the country if attacked by a foreign nation.
- To support the civil community in case of disasters (e.g. flooding).
- To defend the interest of Skandinavia abroad.
- To deploy forces to international support operations.
Skandinavia cooperates with a number of foreign countries in military matters as research, technology, weapons and joint exercices.
Recent political decisions have strongly emphasized the will to participate in international operations, to the point where this has become the main short-term goal of training and equipment acquisition.
Personnel
Until the formation of Skandinavia, traditionally in the old countries the military base was made up of conscripts. From the outset, the new government realized that the security of the nation needed a fully professionalized armed forces.
Getting the troops needed to maintain the professionalism of the armed forces is no easy task, so the staff is well paid and enjoy many other social benefits both in their working lives and in their integration into civilian life. Currently, the armed forces are composed of 400.000 troops allocated between different branches of the armed forces. Of these, 120,000 are foreigners who get their nationality after a period of service. With the current restrictive immigration laws, immigrants can reach the nationality after a service period in the armed forces, so this is a good way to get the necessary troops.
In 2007, compulsory military service was reactivated. Since then, all men and women at the age of 18 must complete a 6-month basic military training course, which will be complemented by courses of 1 or 2 months in subsequent years until they reach 12 months. The law provides for the possibility of replacing military training with other types of social services of equal duration for cases of conscientious objection.
Training
Officers are trained in the different Officer Academy and also at the Military University which has establishments at Kalberg Palace in Stockholm and in Christiania University. Soldiers are trained at the different units of the three branches.
Ranks
For details regarding ranks: Forsvaret ranks, insignias and uniforms.
Armed Forces Military Organization
The Forsvarssjef (SKFVJ) is the professional head of the Armed Forces and is an appointment that can be held by an Admiral, Air Lieutenant General, or Army Lieutenant General. The SKFVJ, is the principal military adviser to the Forsvarsminister. Current SKFVJ is Admiral Harald Borg.
Armed Forces Headquarters
Forsvarets hovedkvarter (SKFVH) in Akershus Fortress, Christiania, acts as the staff of the SKFVJ. It is headed by a three star general (Lt. General) or admiral. SKFVH assigns priorities, manages resources, provides force generation and support activities. .Overall, the SKFHV have about 1500 employees, including civilian personnel. Each of the four branches of defence is headed by a three star general (Lt. General) or admiral who are subordinate to SKFHV.
Defense Operative Headquarters
Forsvarsoperative Hovedkvarter (SKFOH) in Mount Jåttå, close to Stavanger, has operational control of Forsvaret worldwide 24/7. It is headed by the Operasjonsjef (SKOJ), a three star general or admiral. It has 900 employees, including civilian personnel. 'SKFOH' and the four Forsvarets Underordnede Hovedkvarter (SKFUH) (Defense Subordinate Headquarters) are command and control centers for the different branches of the armed forces within their areas of influence.
Defense Subordinate Headquarters
Subordinate to SKFOH are:
- Nord-Skandinavias Hovedkontor (SKNSH) (Northern Scandinavia Headquarters) located in Narvik.
- Sør-Skandinavias Hovedkontor (SKSSH) (Southern Scandinavia Headquarters) located in Göteborg.
- Arktisk hovedkvarter (SKAkH) (Arctic Headquarters) located in Keflavik.
- Rask Reaksjonsstyrke Hovedkvarter (SKRRH) located in Holmen.
Each Subordinate Headquarters consists of the SUbordinate Headquarters of every of the differente military branches.
Strategic Forces Headquarters
Strategisk Våpenhovedkvarter (STVH) is the Forsvaret Headquarters in charge of operation and control of all the strategic weapons of Skandinavia. Regardless of the military branch, all units armed with strategic weapons are subordinated to this headquarters and only respond to it. It is located in Løding.
Armed Forces Logistics Organisation
Forsvarets Logistikkorganisasjon (FLOSK) is responsible for engineering, procurement, investment, supply, information and communications technology. It is also responsible for maintenance, repair and storage of material.
Armed Forces Intelligence Service
The Forsvarets Etterretningstjeneste (FVEJ) is an intelligence, joint security and counter-intelligence service within the Armed Forces. Its members are a mix of civilian employees and military personnel.
Cyber Defence Force
Cyberforsvaret is a branch of the Armed Forces responsible for military communications and defensive and offensive cyberwarfare in Skandinavia. The force employs 1,900 people located at more than 40 locations. The main base is at Jørstadmoen in Lillehammer, with a secondary base at Skärholmen in Stockholm. Cyberforsvaret was established in September 2012.
Military Branches
- Kongelige Hæren (Royal Army)
- Kongelige Sjøforsvaret (Royal Navy)
- Kongelige Luftforsvaret (Royal Air Force)
- Kongelige Heimevernet (Royal Home Guard)
- Kongelige Strategiskestyrker (Royal Strategic Forces)
- Kongelige Gendarmeri (Royal Gendarmerie)